Lynchburg utility customers will be getting their water from the James River for two to three weeks while the city conducts maintenance work on the Pedlar Reservoir dam.
The reservoir is the primary water source for Lynchburg customers, but the city switched to the backup source about two weeks ago.
Tapping the James River for drinking water costs more than using Pedlar water because the city has to use additional treatment chemicals and extra energy to pump the water to the filtration plant.
Workers are cleaning out debris from the intake tower and from screens that block small debris, like twigs and leaves, from entering the water system.
They also are taking measurements for new racks to block large debris, such as logs or branches, from entering the tower, said city utility director Tim Mitchell.
In addition to clearing the debris, which is usually done annually, workers also are making repairs and adjustments to fixtures in the dam. Some of that work hasn’t been done since the dam was raised in 1964, Mitchell said.
The intake tower resembles an elevator shaft with eight gates that open like doors to allow water down into the pipeline to the city’s filtration plants, Mitchell said. Inside the shaft are screens that are about 60 feet high and eight to nine feet wide, which stop small debris from getting into the pipeline.
“But we didn’t have anything to prevent large objects, like logs or large tree limbs, from entering in the gates and into the tower, so that’s why we’re adding the trash racks,” Mitchell said.
Divers will take measurements during the next few weeks and the racks will be made. In several months, when the racks are finished, the city will tap the James River again for another week while those racks are installed.
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